Discussion

peruvian salsa criollo recipe?

One of our favorite appetizers at the local Peruvian steak house is a chicken tamal topped with salsa criollo. I'd love to serve that salsa at home--it's fabulous and it looks like it's really simple. Tonight I asked the waiter what's in it, and he said it's Bermuda onions, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, lemon & lime juice, and salt & pepper. I'm tempted to just wing it but I'd love to find an actual recipe--does anyone have one?

That's what's so strange--most of the search results that come up are for restaurant menus, not recipes. The handful that I found don't sound like what we ate last night. I cobbled together this from a couple different sources:

Here's a recipe from Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's "Book of Latin American Cooking." It states the origin is Argetinian and not Peruvian. I don't know if they differ but this give ingredient amounts.

1 tablespoon hot paprika or cayenne papper1/2 Tbsp dry mustard1/2 cup red wine vinegar1/2 cup olive oilsalt and pepper to taste2 green bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped1 medium onion, finely chopped3 medium tomatoes, choppedMix the paprika or cayenne and mustard to a paste with a little of the vinegar, then stir in the rest of the vinegar. Beat in the oil. Season to taste with salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix. the sauce has a lot of liquid. The solids should float in the bowl, so add a little more oil and vinegar if necessary. This is very hot.